


Lucas Miller's Psychopomp Survival Guide

by BoPeepWithNoSheep



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Angst, Angst With A Bittersweet Ending, Character Death, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Grim Reapers, He Kind Of Gets Better, Lucas Miller becomes a reaper, Once again I am the first person to use Lucas Miller related relationship tags, Post-Canon, The Astral Plane, non-graphic description of a fatal injury
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-20
Updated: 2021-01-20
Packaged: 2021-03-12 06:55:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28881324
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BoPeepWithNoSheep/pseuds/BoPeepWithNoSheep
Summary: Everything goes well until it doesn't, and then it sort of goes well but with lots of consequences.That's pretty typical of Lucas Miller's life, and apparently his unlife too.
Relationships: Kravitz & Lucas Miller, Lucas Miller & Maureen Miller, Lucas Miller & The Raven Queen
Comments: 1
Kudos: 8





	Lucas Miller's Psychopomp Survival Guide

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I bring yet another Lucas Miller character study that no one asked for! This will probably be two or three parts? I don't have a long meandering story but I basically have this chapter planned and the next chapter planned and possibly a few random stories within this AU that will get posted in here too.

The explosion in his lab nearly rattles his bones, it certainly disorients him. Lucas blinks up at the ceiling, his chair overturned with a great view of the plumes of smoke that fill the air. There’s a ringing in his ears, almost musical in tone but not quite. It resonates somewhere in his chest and he gasps and chokes trying to catch his breath again. A moment later the sprinkler system kicks on but there’s a bit of rubble that must be shielding him from the spray.

He just sort of lays there, stewing a bit in his own failure for a few moments before heaving a sigh. He’ll have to get up sooner or later, but he may as well wait for the sprinklers to work their way through the fires for now. He’s not quite sure how much time has passed, but he closes his eyes for a bit. He hasn’t been sleeping the best lately, it’s hard during summer break to keep a good schedule like he does during the school year.

This might be his first nap since he left campus.

He only opens his eyes when he hears a familiar noise, a loud tearing sound. It’s a deeper sort of sound than simple fabric, because it isn’t cloth that’s tearing but the fabric of reality. “Oh, uh, hey Kravitz,” Lucas’ mind goes a little blank for a moment as his brain doesn’t quite process what’s going on, “Uh, this whole project isn’t necromancy. Like, it’s just transmutation this time. Did you need something? Is Angus okay.”

It’s an awkward angle, laying on the ground while the grim reaper towers above him. Kravitz stares at him, and for a flash of a moment Lucas thinks the man looks sad before his face passes into something smoother, something more professional. It’s a little odd but Lucas, moves to push himself up only to find he can’t quite get up. He blinks again and glances down and _oh--_

Oh, _that’s_ why Kravitz is here.

“A-Are those my legs?” His voice cracks, high and nasally and a little hysterical. They are, in fact, his legs pinned under rubble along with most of his body. He doesn’t feel any of it, not the way he definitely thinks he should--Because he’s technically died once and that hurt a lot more than this does.

Kravitz doesn’t say anything in reply, just sighs and crouches down. Lucas doesn’t know how his breathing isn’t getting towards panic attack levels because he sure knows he’s very prone to those. Can he breathe? Is he breathing? Oh gods, this isn’t happening--This _can’t_ be happening. At some point he must vocalize all of this internal strife because finally Kravitz reaches out to him.

“Lucas, look at me. I know you’re scared but it’s going to be okay.”

The sheer whiplash of _Kind Kravitz_ juxtaposed over his memories of _Bounty Hunter Kravitz_ causes a hysterical laugh to bubble up. At least, he thinks it’s a laugh because he doesn’t really want to think about how much it sounds like a sob, “How is this okay? How is any of this okay if you’re here like this it means I--That I’ve--”

He can’t finish the sentence before another roaring wave of anxiety crests over him and his ears ring so loud he can’t even hear his own breathing. Is he breathing? Was he breathing before and when did he stop? He tries to raise his arms but they’re still pinned and how can they be pinned if he can’t even feel any of this? Gods, what’s wrong with him and what’s happening and--

Hands cradle his face, smoothing tears away until his vision clears back up, “Lucas, look at me I’m going to get you out of here but you need to be calm.”

It’s a gradual process, because just calming down is never as easy as the person asking him to do it thinks. His mom was always good at it, getting him to stop spiraling endlessly in his own brain and just breathe. Kravitz isn’t his mom though, his hands are cold as ice and his face might have cracked the smallest bit of concern Lucas’ brain keeps overlaying stark skeletal features from the last time he died. When Mom saved him--

_**Mom.** _

He’s hiccupping out gross noises, it’s not crying because he says it’s not. Mind over matter and none of this fucking stuff with his body even matters because _what about his mom?_

His voice is quieter, meeker than he intends but he’s so scared. He’s dying and she’s not here and he’s _scared_ , “Can I see her? Wherever you take me, is she gonna be there?”

Kravitz hushes him again, rests his hand against Lucas’ eyes for a brief moment. It’s confusing but then Lucas hears that familiar warp tone and sucks in a breath. That’s Kravitz’ scythe--There’s only one reason he’d pull out his scythe. 

“Yes, we _will_ visit your mother, but first we’ve got to check in with mine.”


End file.
